The present invention relates to an apparatus for compacting rolled plastic films or, more particularly, to an apparatus which is used for pneumatically compacting a roll of plastic films from outside to exclude or squeeze out any air bubbles unavoidably entrained between layers of the film in the winding-up process of the roll so that the cloudiness in the appearance of the roll can be reduced to increase the value of the rolled plastic films as a commercial product.
The above mentioned phenomenon of air entrainment in a roll of plastic films is one of the serious problems in the manufacture of transparent plastic films which are produced without exception in the form of film rolls because rolls containing many air bubbles between layers of transparent plastic films exhibit cloudy appearance to greatly decrease the value as a commercial product. Although entrainment of air bubbles can be reduced to some extent by improvements in the winding-up process of the plastic films into rolls, no solution can be obtained for completely eliminating entrainment of air bubbles between layers of rolled plastic films. Accordingly, it is desirable to develop an efficient apparatus for excluding or squeezing out the air bubbles by compacting from outside of the plastic film roll after winding up. No information is available, however, for such an apparatus suitable for industrial use insofar as the inventors are aware.